Chronic stress, especially early in life, sets the stage for depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders because stress significantly increases brain immunoexcitotoxicity.

This reaction gets much worse as we grow older, and can result in high levels of free radicals and lipid peroxidation products in the brain.

To help prevent stress from damaging your brain, it is important to pick a time of day that you can sit quietly for 15 to 30 minutes and simply let your mind drift. Try to think of something that relaxes you.

I used to keep a slide viewer on my desk with a picture of a beautiful mountain scene. When things got really tense, I would look through the viewer and imagine I was in that scene.

Even if I spent only a few seconds doing it, I could feel the difference it made in my stress level.

Short periods of stress actually strengthen our brains and hearts. But chronic stress is distinctly unhealthy.

Prayer is also helpful in relieving stress and promoting brain health.